So the topic on the climbing bounty hunter has come to a screeching halt. See the other bounty hunter thread. It ended at the end when I suggested that the bounty hunter was reading these messages. Here’s the question:
1. Have people become quiet because they don’t want their postings read by the bounty hunter?
2. Is it that no one has anything to say to this person?

I will say for myself that if this person, who we will call Moe for now, wants my respect and support in the future, he will have to do the following:
1. Cease to extract tree sitters immediately.
2. Publicly apologize for his actions.
3. Go to a sitter training camp and train sitters on safety, climbing technique, and how to protect themselves against corporate bounty hunters.

If our bounty hunter refuses to do these things, this is what it will cost him.
1. The recreational climbing community as well as many other communities will view Moe as someone to avoid. He will be an example of what not to be.
2. The international tree climbing communities will never want anything to do with him. There will be no invitations for climbs abroad. He will be viewed as a mercenary traitor to the trees.
3. Equipment companies will refuse to support him in any way as it will be a bad reflection of the company who supports his efforts.
4. People will not want to go on trips with this person. His business will suffer.
5. He will be a topic of conversation, but not the kind that is flattering.

These are expensive costs. But that is also my own personal opinion.

Everyone has their own motivations for the decisions they make, so I'm almost always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt.

On the other hand, how can one have anything but contempt for corporate hit-and-run forestry practices? I'm left to wonder, what possible rationalizations does one use to allow themselves to hire out to a corporate giant like Maxxam, particularly if they profess to like trees? I find it bewildering, in the absence of any explanations. I realize that none of us is required to explain ourselves and our actions to anyone else, but as Peter points out, our actions have consequences, regardless. There are probably lots of us that wouldn't climb with a person who chosen such a path; I am certainly one of them.

There's no doubt in my mind that plants sense our emotions, our intentions (ever read The Secret Life of Plants?) When I go to climb, I try my best to approach the tree with affection & respect. I hope to learn something from them. I wouldn't want to climb with someone that has such a mercenary attitude toward the very beings with which I'm trying to establish a _link_.

I stopped posting because I simply lost interest.

I'd like to hear from an extractor on this topic. However, if I was an extractor, I wouldn't waste my time here. We would be a hard bunch for him/her to convince.

Remember that there are some people that don't really like trees that much. They just do it for work. I've worked with guys that wouldn't hesitate to top a tree. I've had employers frustrated because I wouldn't top trees for them. I like trees. I've had co-workers who didn't even think twice about it...just did what the boss said. They were basically using trees for money.

Shame.

love
nick

This has been a heated topic of debate on this site and others. Since I may shed some light on this, I feel obligated to say something. Instead of calling him Moe, I think I will call him Mike.

A little over a year ago, I was climbing on the Olympic Peninsula here in WA with Mike and another fellow climber. Over our campfire the night before the climb, my friend and climbing partner mentioned that he had heard of these "extractors" that were paid to pull protesters from redwood trees. A conversation insued much like this one, as to the details of what is right and what is wrong. Less than a year later, Mike was actually hired as an extractor (although I didn't hear about it until it's first appearance on another message board).

In spite of his actions, I beleive that Mike is a good person. He has long been a strong advocate for trees and recreational climbing here in the Northwest. This isn't to say that I agree with his choices in life however. If given the chance to do things differently, I think that Mike would have opted not to take up employment as an extractor.

I can speculate what his motivations were, but I do not know for certain. Regardless, I find them unimportant. I do not agree with the choices Mike has made, but I also don't feel as though he should be exiled from sitting at the table with the rest of us. I think he has learned an important lesson.

Milke is very well-spoken and can "talk the talk" with the best of 'em. I DO NOT always think that he "walks the walk" in his tree climbing pursuits. There have been times climbing with Mike, where I have questioned his methods or disagreed with his approach. For these reasons I may refrain from climbing with him in the future, but my reasoning is _base_d on personal experience, not personal politics.

Keep in mind that we don't know his side of the story. I think he's obligated to tell us, but I also don't think that we have the right to ex-communicate him from the tree climbing community.

For Mike's sake, I hope he posts here. For our sake, I hope we hear from him and listen to him before we judge.

Those are well put ideas, Benny. I think it IS we heard from our extractor. So I challenge Mike to post here and reply to these conversations. If he believes in what he is doing, he should be able to converse with his peers on this subject. Silence on his part would NOT add to his reputation.

Originally posted by Treeman
... do the following:

3. Go to a sitter training camp and train sitters on safety, climbing technique, and how to protect themselves against corporate bounty hunters.


Who has done this? Please share this experience.